Page 41 of Her Cursed Duke
“The puppy was far more spirited than either of us imagined.”
“Oh,” Agnes sighed and then laughed. “I can imagine that would have really upset you. Were you hurt?”
“Only bruised my dignity on the way down. Other than that, I am just fine.”
Agnes put a hand over her mouth and tried to conceal her laughter with a cough, her eyes watery with mirth. “I am… so sorry… dear.” She cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea. “I am glad, though, that it was not anything serious. You had me quite worried about you.”
“I apologize, Agnes. It was never my intention to do that. But please rest assured that I am well. Areyouwell, though? How have you been finding the countryside? I know that I regaled you with tales of all its charms and have even shown you around a bit, but I wanted to know if you like it here.”
Agnes smiled, staring off into the expanse of greenery that stretched out on their side. “I really do love it here. The air is fresher, the space is calmer, and, most importantly, you are here. That, more than anything, means the world to me. I do miss my horses, and I can’t help but wonder how Alexandra—Silas’s grandmother—is fairing. She said she was well in her latest letter and that she had Lady Anna for company, but those two together always leave me concerned. I fear they might be terrorizing some poor soul somewhere.”
Prudence smiled around her cookie, nodding in satisfaction. “I am very glad to hear that. If there is ever a thing that does not suit your tastes—”
“Do not worry about me, Prudence. Everything is absolutely perfect. Ideally so, as we won’t have this much peace of mind when we go to London to see Imogen. As much as I am enjoying this vacation with you, I cannot wait until we three are unitedagain. We only have a few more weeks until we leave, isn’t that simply wonderful?”
It felt as though Prudence’s world had come to an abrupt halt.
She did want to see Imogen. She was excited, and she had missed her younger sister dearly. Additionally, that had always been the plan. So, why did she feel so conflicted now? Why did she have uncertainty in her heart, filling her veins with sadness over the prospect of leaving?
“Yes,” she forced herself to say, “it really is.”
Aiden returned home with a slight smile on his face.
To think that his intentions had been so well received… that as proper as Prudence seemed, she had no qualms about begging for his touch, left him desiring her even more.
It seemed as though he were still at the edge of the lake, with his lips latched onto her neck and his fingers inside her, drunk on the sounds of pleasure that escaped her beautiful lips. It had maddened him to let her go, to hold back from taking her completely, consequences be damned.
But there would be plenty of time for that. Now that he had managed to find something to keep him entertained throughout this farce, he would savor it, relish every delightful reaction hisadvances would elicit from Prudence. They still had a little over three weeks to keep up this charade, and he intended to ensure that they would both be greatly compensated for the hard work they were putting in.
A knock at the door of his study pulled him out of his thoughts, and he called out for the person to enter, a little surprised and wary when his godmother walked in.
“Good afternoon, dear. You have a letter from the Duke of Forestwood,” she said, handing him an envelope.
The Duke of Forestwood? Prudence’s brother-in-law?
Aiden frowned, wondering if it had anything to do with his tryst with the lady in question.
Could she have regretted it and claimed to have been seduced? Was this a challenge to a duel for her honor?
Irritated by the myriad of nonsensical thoughts flooding his mind, he opened the envelope, exhaling in slight relief upon reading the note.
“It seems he would like to go hunting with me tomorrow morning,” Aiden mumbled loudly enough for his godmother to hear.
“That is delightful. He is, after all, Lady Prudence’s brother-in-law. It will be ideal for you to gain favor with him if you are going to ask for her hand,” she commented with glee.
“Godmother, have I not told you on countless occasions not to entertain such notions? I have only known her for three weeks—hardly enough time to consider wanting her hand.”
Her body, though.
He felt his member throb at the mere thought of having her wholly.
“Yes, yes, I remember. Still, there is no harm in accepting his invitation, is there?”
Truthfully, no. Aiden had quite enjoyed Silas’s company when they had attended the races together. He found all his opinions insightful and appreciated the lack of pompous posturing most nobles in this region tended to embody.
“You’re right. I will send a response shortly.” He paused as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Is there a reason you delivered this to me personally? As I recall, I have a butler to handle these sorts of menial tasks.”
Beatrice pursed her lips momentarily, knowing that while Aiden might not be concerned about it, she still had no desire to tell him that his butler had fallen ill and quickly retired from his post, blaming the Duke for his misfortune. She had already putin an advertisement for a replacement, but the other servants seemed wary to approach Aiden, for that reason.
